Garment press



Nov. 1, 1927.

J. c. LEDBETTER GARMENT PRESS Filed Nov. 16, 1925 |NvENToR ./mm (mrad Leaeffer BY W ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 1, 1927.

.UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

kJAMES CAMROD LEDBRTTER, OP NEW YORK, N. Y., AssIGNoR yro THRVPROSPRRITY COMPANY, INC., on SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OP NEW YORK.`

- GARMENT PRnss. i

Application idmiremberie, 1925. seriai No. 69,234.

This invention relates to pressing machines as for example garment presses and ironing presses, and more particularly to Operating mechanism therefor to open and close the press, and to improved balancing means vfor balancing the movable press jaws or for balancing the press head. e a n Among other things, the subject matter of this application constitutes an improvement over the invention disclosed in my formery atent application Serialk Number 57 ,264 gled September 19, 1925. Y

Vhe'reas in my former patent application the power exerted to close the press under pressure is produced by a toggle and then transmitted through balancing gears to the pressj'aws, in tliepresent improvement the power is generated by a cam and transmitted throughV anarm or press 'lever to the jaws, which for some types of presses, is considered a practical advantage over the former construction. e

In garment pressing machines now largely in use, it is the custom of press manufactui'ers to mount `the pressing head on one end of a long horizontal press lever. This press lever rocks in a vertical plane on a horizontal fulcrumaxis to raise and lower a press head or jaw and this lever projects rather far back from the press frame and causes the press to really occupy more floor space than would seem necessary with an otherwise compact frame. .Y

In order to balance the rather heavy head, it is necessary to mount a heavyweight on the outer end of the press lever opposite 'to the end which carries the movable jaw. This further increases the size of the machine and space required, and furthermore the weight sary to project the rear end of the lever to the rear of the press frame and thus be in the way, but my invention permits the press to be placed close to the wall or close to another pressing machine and thus save floor space. y

In this improved press the rear projecting unsightly large heavy Weight carrying short integrah press lever arm is simply turned downwardly in the press frame and `a vbalancing weight is placed uiiderthe table of the press and is geared to the arm and the arm'carries a light weight, not a heavy one, because the balancing arm is .long and pose sesses considerable leverage. It -is out of the way under the press table. It projects inside the machine instead of to the rear. -1

It is also important to notice that one of the objects and features of this invention is the'provision in a compound cani ofnieans for first imparting a rapid closing movement to the press j'aws followed by a slow compressing movement( Y The accompanying drawing illustrates in somewhat diagrammatical form the inven tion as adapted to a garment pressing ma-v chine, though it may be used on other presses.

The'piess jaws are shown in closed and pressing position `with the pedal down. The dotted line position of the parts indicates the press in open position. n kReferring further to they drawingfor a more detailed description of the invention, there is shown a press frame 10 on which a press table 11 is mounted together with a back board v12 to prevent the garment or other work being pressed from falling to the rearof the press. Press jaws are mounted on'thepres's frame and comprise the usual form o f stationary buck 13 and movable head 14. The-jaws or press head and buck open wide to admit thevwork. A j'aw carrying press arm 15 is fixed to the head 14 at one end and is pivoted at 16 on the frame at the other end thereof. The press lever or head' arm 15 is preferably composed of a horizontal portion 15 and substantially vertical portion 17 and the head 14 is lifted high above the buck 13 by swinging this arm. The arm 17 is extended downwardly within the press frame 10 in the form of an integral lever arm 18 on the lower end of which is mounted a cam roller 19.v j

The pivot 16 constitutes a shaft to which the swinging lpress lever 15-18 is fixed so that as the press lever swings back and forth to raise and lower the head 14, the shaft 16 is rotated. A gear 20 is iXedto the shaft 16 and undergoes partial rotation as the press lever 18 swings back and forth.v

A balancing arm 21 is mounted under the press table 11 with its forward end projecting towards the frontl of the machine ofi and its rear end pivoted at 22 on the frame 10. The rear end of the'balancing arm 21 is made with a gear 23 which engages the gear 20. rlhe balancing arm 21 is normally disposed in a horizontal plane when the press is closed as shown in the drawing and the front end swings up and down, moving in a direction opposite to that of the head 14. In other' words the arms 21and 15 are geared together which imparts an opposite direction of travel, for it is to be noted that as the press head arm 15 lifts upwardly, the balancing arm 21 moves downwardly. A balancing weight 24 is adjustably mounted on the horizontal balancing arm 21 and preferably placed toward the forward end thereof so as to obtain as much leverage as possible through the gears 2O and 23 in order to lift the head 14 or in order to balance it as the case may be.

The fulcrum point 22 which supports the load of the arm 21 and weight 22 is' fixed in the frame of the machine, as for example in the frame which is removed from the` near side of the press to exposel to view the operating parts.

The weight 23 is relatively light, not heavy, because it works through a long leverage and the ratio of the gears 2O and 23 may if desired be so proportioned as to further increase the leverage to permitv further decrease of the weight 24.

Any suitable operating means may be used to open and close the press, that is to raise the head 14 high above the buck and close it down thereupon against the work. In this case have illustrated a foot operated mechanism as an example of operating means to open and close the press. A pedal 27 is pivoted at 28 in the frame 10 and is provided with a substantially horizontal closing caml 2 9 made thereunder, which abruptly turns upw-ardly to form a high pressure cam surface 80. The cam 29 cooperates with the roller 19 to swing the lower-'lever end 18 rearwardly at a high rate of travel in proportion to the movement of the pedal 27 which is to say that the pedal does not move very far to completely close the head 14 down into contact with the buck. On the other hand the vertical cam 30 on the pedal is so designed that a substantially long pedal movement is required to swing the lever 1 rearwardly a short distance.

Little physical effort is required to close the head down on the buck and thus a short pedal stroke is used which saves most of the pedal travel for the compression of the closed jaws. Therefore the operator is provided with a comparativelyv longer stroke of the pedal to produce compression than in producing the initial closing motion. In this way great aw pressure is produced by comparatively little physical effort. The improved compound cam renders the press especially useful as a tailor press because the head 14may be stroked or patted up and down onthe work without locking the head down in pressing position on the garment which so frequently occurs with toggle type tailor presses now in use and which is not a strictly desirable press function with many of the better class valet shops.

A pedal lifting spring 32 has one end attached to the press frame 10 and the other end attached to the pedal to lift the pedal-27 upwardly after each downwardly pressing stroke is completed.

In operation 'of the press, the work. 'is spread upon the buck 13 and the head 14 is drawn down thereupon either bydepressing the pedal 27 or by pulling down theA handle 25 or by using both such means. `When the head is up and with the pedal up as shown in dotted line position, the cam roller 19 is at restat the front end of the cam 29 but as the pedal is depressed the'curvature of the cam starts the roller 19 to rapidly running toward the rear of the press, i. e. toward the pedal fulcrum point 28. rlfhe roller now drops off the cam 29 onto the vertical cam 8O just at the time that the head 14 Contacts the buck 18 and by depressing` the pedal further, the high compression cam rolls downwardly over the roller 19 forcing the lever 18 rearwardly under considerable power thus producing substantially high compres sion between the jaws.

The weight 24 at all times acts through the gears to aid in lifting and lowering the head 14 onto the work and this weight is under the press table out of the way. The compound cam 29-80 is simple in structure since it is'forined on a single piece namely the pedal. The machine is compact since it has few operating parts.

lVhat I claim is:

1. A presscomprising in combination, cooperating press jaws, a pivotal arm carrying a movable press jaw, another pivotal arm, an operative rconnection between the two arms,y a weight mounted on the second pivotal arm to balance the movable jaw and the two pivotal arms, a lever arm carried with the first named pivotal arml and extending downwardly, operating means to swing the lever arm back and forth to close and open the press including a cam and roller set mounted on the lever arm and on the operating means to produce high jaw compression at the end of the closing oper'-A ation.

2. A press comprising in combination, cooperating press jaws, a pivotal arm carrying a movable press' jaw, another pivotal arm, a weight mounted on the second pivotal arm tov balance the movable press jaw, gears interposed between the two arms operatively connecting them together, 'a lever arm carried with thefirst named p-iv otal arm and extending downwardly, and a pedal having operative connection with the lever arm to swing the same toclose the press.

3. A press comprising in combination, cooperating press jaws, a pivotal arm carrying a movable press jaw, another Ypivotal arm, a weight mounted on the second arm to balance the movable press jaw, a gear carried with one pivotal arm, a gear connected with the other pivotal arm meshing with the lirst gear to cause the arms to swing in opposite directions, a pedal, and a cam and roller set cooperatingy with the pedal and with the iirst named pivotal arm to transmit the pedal motion to the iirst named pivotal arm.

Ll. A press comprising in combination, cooperating press jaws, a pivotal arm carrying a movable press jaw, another pivotal arm, a weight mounted on the second arm to balance the movable press jaw, means operatively connecting together the two pivotal arms, a pedal 'to actuate the arms to open and close the press, a cam roller on one arm, and a compound cam made on the pedal to actuate the cam roller. Y

5. A press comprising in combination, cooperating press jaws, a pivotol arm carrying a movable press jaw, another pivotal arm, a weight mounted on the second arm to balance the movable press jaw, means operatively connecting together the two pivotal arms, a long vertical press lever extending downwardly into the press frame, a cam roller journaled on the lower end of the press lever, a pedal, and a compound cam made on the pedal to cooperate with the cam roller.

6. A press comprising in combination, co operating press jaws, a pivotal arm carrying a movable press jaw, a lever arm carried therewith and extending vertically downward, another pivotal arm, a weight mounted on the second arm to balance the movable press jaw, means operatively connecting together the two pivotal arms, a pedal, a compound cam thereon including a vertical cam adjoining a cam disposed at an angle to the vertical cam, a cam roller journaled on the lower end of the lever arm and adapted to run in contact with the compound cam.

7. A pressing machine comprising` in combination, a frame, cooperating pressing jaws, a tulcrum lshaft carrying a gear mounted in the Jframe, a press lever tixed to the shat't and lattached to one jaw, another gear carried in the frame meshing ing a cam to engage the roller to close the press.

9. A pressing machine comprising in combination, a frame, cooperating pressing jaws, a lulcrum shaft carrying a gear mounted in the frame, a press lever fixed to the shaft and attached to one jaw, a

counter weight and means operatively connecting it with the gear, a roller carried on the press lever, a pedal including a substantially hc-rizonta-l cam engaging the roller, and a vertical cam on the pedal to produce Iinal pressure between the jaws.

10. A press comprising a frame and jaws, operating means by which the press is opened and closed including, a press lever having a substantially vertical lower arm pivotally carried in the trame and means actuated by the lower' arm to open and close the press, a pedal pivot-ed in the trame, and a cam and roller set carried with the lower arm and pedal including camming means to close the press, camming means to produce inalA jaw compression, and the two camming means including intersecting cams extending at an angle to each other.

ll. A press comprising a frame' and jaws, operating 'means by which the press is opened and closed including, a press lever having a substantially vertical lower arm pivotally carried in the frame and means actuated by the lower arm to open and close the press, a pedal pivoted in the frame, a cam and roller set carried with the lower arm and pedal including, camming means to close the press, camming means to produce final jaw compression; and jaw ,counterbalancing means including, two interconnected gears, means to rotate one gear by movement of. the press lever, and a weight and arm carried inside the press frame by the other gear.

In testimony whereof I affix my signa ture.

JAMES oAMRoD LEDBETTER. 

